California Coasting :: Day 6 - Last Bits & Goodbyes

City Lights bookstore | treats at Tartine | lunch at Radish | exploring Castro | roadtrip must-stop, Trader Joes | SF style bixis! | Haight & Ashbury | Amoeba Music! | Wasteland | shots of Japantown | Pig & Whistle : our scorecard / team name | drinks at Nopa! | friend love | husband love

We got the most out of our last day and packed it full, ensuring we hit all the places that had been over-looked or "saved for later" before we left. I was on the prowl for a souvenir tote so we headed to the Mission and all it's sweet little boutiques. Funny thing about that - as a rule, boutiques in the Mission [maybe San Francisco?] don't open until noon! I had never bothered to check assuming it was 10am like at home so we were stranded in the neighbourhood killing time. Poor us - we had to hit up Tartine again. After a lovely breakfast, numerous boutiques, another coffee and a stop at Radish for lunch we jumped on a bus headed back to Richmond.

On a whim, we got off in the Haight because, why not? More boutiques [notable: Wasteland], some coffee and a couple of odd run-ins [no, random-sir-walking-past-me-not-making-eye-contact, I am not here to buy what you're selling] later, we were about to hop on the bus when we came upon Amoeba. Boy am I glad we did not miss out on Amoeba. Not only is it impressively large, filled with all the records and CDs your nostalgic heart could desire BUT Jack picked up Talking Heads record with the song Naive Melody for us to frame. The most romantic. 

Our last night was celebrated at the Pig & Whistle for Trivia and then a late night dinner at Nopa. We fell in love with san Francisco while we were there and even though we packed as much in as we did, there was still so much to see & experience... we may already be planning our trip back. 

California Coasting :: Day 5 - Alcatraz

Tuesday morning we made our way down to Fisherman's Wharf bright and early to stand in line for day-of Alcatraz tickets! If you didn't know, as we didn't (but were warned of from various friends) , Alcatraz is hella-popular and tickets sell out like nonsense. We managed to grab a pair for later that day then headed to Mama's to grab breakfast from the best place in town.


It was so amazing to see the infamous Alcatraz in person and learn more about the island itself. The prison tour was so interesting and I'm really happy we picked up the headsets on the way in. One of my favourite photos is of San Francisco through a tiny window C-block. Before leaving, we walked as far around the island as the fences would allow leading to gorgeous views of the city itself. If we get to return to San Francisco, I will be booking the nighttime Alcatraz tour for sure!
 

California Coasting :: Day 4 - Fisherman's Wharf

Port of San Francisco | Ferry Building | Blue Bottle | Fisherman's Grotto | Alioto's crab sandwich | Coit Tower 
self-explanatory | antique Arcade | TCHO chocolate | bubbly flight at ENO | ENO 

Jack and I almost skipped a visit to fisherman's wharf as we aren't the biggest fan of crowds and like to pretend we live in the cities we visit... which means avoiding the "touristy stuff"... we're cool like not. Luckily, my dear friend Jackie knows better and took us down to the Ferry Building and Fisherman's Wharf. It was a lovely day filled with delicious crab, great coffee and an amazing, although at times slightly creepy, antique arcade. 

We topped it off with drinks at ENO, again, and a trip to Clay Theatre in Fillmore to see Blue Jasmine. That's right, Jack and I traveled to another country, on the opposite coast to watch a movie and it was perfect - it's like we lived there.

California Coasting :: Day 3 - The Mission

view from Presidio | Mission | Four Barrel coffee | Bi-Rite market [a-MAH-zing] | Dandelion chocolate
Tartine bakery | lunch at The Little Chihuahua | Painted Ladies & Alamo Square | Vesuvio Cafe & 15 Romolo for drinks

Sunday was spent eating our way through the Mission with stops at Inspiration Point in  Presidio, Alamo Square and Fillmore. Sampling fruit from the gorgeous bi-rite market; grabbing coffee at Four Barrel, realizing our awful mistake and adding in a couple baked goods; having an actual meal at the Little Chihuahua; and, finally, waiting in the infamous line at Tartine for desserts & coffee. 

We stopped in a bunch of interesting spots in-between bites including, The Pirate Supply Store; Paxton Gate; and a lovely chocolate shop, Dandelion.That evening we rallied and headed to North Beach for drinks and late night bites at Vesuvio and 15 Romolo. It was so nice to spend the day getting to know the city a little better and falling in love with it a little more.

California Coasting :: Day 2 - Sonoma

Gloria Ferrer Winery | Angelo's Wine Country Deli | Larson Family Winery | Gundlach Bundschu Wine
Gundlach Bundschu & friends | barrels at Scribe Winery | splash of white | view from Scribe's dilapidated haciendaquick snap before leaving
the dog we will one day steal | treats at Scribe | inside the hacienda | drive back into the city

We spent our second day wine tasting in Sonoma. To say I was charmed by the Sonoma would be putting it lightly - oh so very lightly. We had our very own personal tour guides - a wine director and a wine enthusiast - so we were in good hands. We began at Gloria Ferrer with a flight of sparklings - Blanc de Blancs, Brut Rosé, Anniversary Cuvée and my favourite, Carneros Cuvée. We continued to Larson Family Winery and then Gundlach Bundschu with a quick stop at Angelo's Deli for much needed sandwiches and the best jerky around. If you find yourself in Sonoma do yourself a favour and stop in - you won't regret it.

We finished our day trip at Scribe Winery, an artisanal winery that arms guests with cozy blankets, samplings, prime picnic-ing real estate, veggies to take home and the, clear,  undisputed the group favourite. The staff was friendly and inviting, the wine delicious and the dogs adorable. Seriously. His name was Huxley and I invited him to live with us. Unfortunately, he prefers a temperate climate and told us to give him a shout if we ever moved to the area. 

We finished the day by touring the old hacienda. It was easy to imagine all the outrageous Great Gatsby-esq parties that could have occurred back before prohibition, with the long, palm-lined drive-way, the many corners and the lovely patios. It was also easy to imagine it as haunted and after an attic scare we high-tailed it out of there. 

California Coasting :: Day 1 - departures & arrivals

In true classic noise fashion I had a plan which will now be thrown out in favour of a late night whim. My plan to share our trip in five posts resulted in some very long posts which, I just don't dig. Instead, I'll go day by day, smushing a few here and there; playing it by ear and sharing what makes sense. Some days will be instagram only as my favourite lens was heavy and the camera got left at home often. Check back often, I plan to share daily if not more, but then again... you know me and planning.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

up in the air | full-time fancy plane snacks | the view | first meal in SF at Thai Time | Golden Gate parkour first snap in SF | ENO on Union Square | Tony's Pizza on Washington Square for late night dinner

We arrived over-dressed and slightly dazed from our early morning start, five hours of sweets, early afternoon (or morning, depending on time zone) wine and an inability to say no to enRoute. After a quick nap we stuck around our neighbourhood - Richmond - grabbing lunch then heading for Golden Gate Park. Neither of us really knew what to expect; the trees, the museums, the fountains, the foliage - we were undoubtably in California! That evening we met up with my good friend, and our hostess, Jackie stopping in at ENO on Union Square for drinks and finishing the night at a North Beach classic, Tony's Pizza Napoletana. It was a long, but great, day and a fantastic start to our honeymoon!